Straw and residue choppers have long been in use in or with agricultural combines for chopping into finer pieces for subsequent distribution over a field the crop residue, also referred to as material other than grain (MOG), resulting from a harvesting operation. Such choppers typically include a rotary element disposed laterally within a housing extending generally horizontally across the flow path of the crop residue through the housing, which rotary element has associated therewith about its periphery a number of knife blades or paddles, and a stationary knife assembly having a plurality of spaced blade elements therealong, which stationary knife assembly is positioned generally parallel to and spaced from the rotary element such that the knife blades or paddles of the rotary element cooperate with the blade elements of the stationary knife assembly to chop the crop residue as it passes between the rotary element and the stationary knife assembly.
Typically, the rotary element includes a cylindrical tube or like member having a plurality of mounting locations distributed about its periphery, at which locations various knife blades or paddles may be mounted or affixed.
Often, the stationary knife assembly may have associated therewith an adjustment mechanism that is operable to vary the spacing between the rotary element and the stationary knife assembly, as may be desirable depending upon the crop being harvested.
Generally, the stationary knife assembly includes a longitudinal knife mounting assembly that extends across the crop residue flow path and a plurality of individual knife blades or elements spaced from one another along the length of such knife mounting assembly and individually attached or affixed to or mounted on or to such knife mounting assembly.
As noted, such residue choppers have long been in use in or with agricultural combines. In the operation of a typical combine that employs a threshing rotor, the flow of crop residue or MOG remaining after threshing is typically discharged into a crop residue distribution system located below and rearwardly of the rear end of the threshing system, which crop residue distribution system typically includes a primary rotary chopper or beater apparatus that chops or beats the residue into smaller pieces and propels the resultant crop residue further rearwardly within a rear end of the combine for either discharge from the combine through a rear opening onto a field, or into another secondary chopper and/or spreader mounted on the rear end operable for spreading the residue over a swath of a field.
During a typical operation of the combine, as the crop residue is discharged from the combine rotor and moves through the crop residue distribution system it flows between the rotary element of the primary chopper and the stationary knife assembly thereof and is chopped into smaller pieces by the cooperative action of the knife blades or elements of the stationary knife assembly and the knife blades or paddles on the rotating rotary element. The rotational movement of the rotary element not only effects a cutting of the material encountered by the knife blades or paddles associated therewith but also serves to propel the resultant flow of crop residue further rearwardly.
Current combine harvester owners have high expectations of maximal throughput of crop residue through the crop residue distribution system, as well as expectations that the crop residue distribution system, including the chopper thereof, will be both easy to use and easily and readily adjustable. Unfortunately, large throughput results in substantial wear on major components of the crop residue distribution system, with the various components of the chopper being some of the most affected parts. Despite a recognition by users of the inevitability of such wear, users nevertheless desire that, and actively seek ways that, the life span of components such as knife blades and elements can be made to extend through an entire year of harvesting activities, or longer. However, since the knife blades and elements of both the rotary element and the stationary knife assemblies are subjected to continuing, heavy wear and abuse as the crop residue flow moves through the primary chopper, the leading edges of the individual knife blades and elements typically become unacceptably dull and/or damaged in a shorter time, often in less than a year. To address this problem, many in the industry have turned to the use of knife blades and elements that have two cutting edges and which are reversible at approximately mid-season to thereafter permit use of the second cutting edge for the remainder of the season. With such constructions, the desired year's worth of harvesting activities can often be realized with a single set of knife blades and elements.
While the need for the purchase of new components during the harvesting season can thus be reduced to some degree by the use of double-sided knife blades and elements, and while such double-sided knife blades and elements can often be effectively employed for an entire year of harvesting activities by removing and reversibly reinstalling the knife blades and elements mid-season to permit use of the second cutting surface during the latter portion of the year, such mid-season reversal of the plurality of individual knife blades and elements has not been an easy task. In such regard, while the efficacy of mid-season reversal of such plurality of individual knife blades and elements has been recognized, users have often found such reversals to be both time consuming and problematic, especially due to safety issues occasioned by the process of reversing each knife blade or element on an individual basis, particularly since each reversal operation introduces a risk that the user may suffer an injury, such as a cut to a hand or arm. Consequently, some users have decided to avoid the hassle and safety threats associated with making such reversals and to delay as long as possible, and even to forego, such reversals. Such delay and/or forbearance, while understandable, typically results in reduction of performance of the chopper and consequent lessened user satisfaction with system operation.
Thus, what has continued to be sought is an apparatus and method of use thereof for facilitating and simplifying the reversal of the double-sided knife blades or elements in a chopper assembly, especially so that the time required for making such reversals is reduced while safety is improved. The present invention, as discussed and described hereinafter, addresses such an apparatus and its use.